Bryson DeChambeau breaks silence on The Open punishment that sparked quitting threat

Sahil Kurup Sat, July 18, 2026 at 12:08 AM UTC

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DeChambeau was assessed a two-stroke penalty at the Open Championship -Credit:Getty Images

Bryson DeChambeau addressed his controversial two-stroke penalty from Friday's second round of The Open Championship.

DeChambeau posted on social media Friday evening after initially declining to discuss the ruling with reporters and having his agent suggest he was considering withdrawing from the tournament. "Obviously disappointed with the ruling. I don't agree with it, but it is what it is. This fires me up. Onto the weekend. Let's get it," the 32-year-old wrote on X.

He took to Instagram as well, captioning the post, "Onto the weekend," with two photos artificially edited to show DeChambeau floating over the golf course and a conversation with R&A officials. Meanwhile, Brandel Chamblee slammed the golfer and his "silliness" when discussing the situation.

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The penalty stemmed from an incident on the par-4 fifth hole at Royal Birkdale, where DeChambeau's tee shot found tall fescue well right of the fairway.

Video showed DeChambeau stepping through the grass behind his ball multiple times before his second shot, appearing to trample it down in the process.

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After DeChambeau completed his round with a birdie at the 18th that briefly put him in solo second place at 7 under, one shot behind leader Lucas Herbert, R&A officials called him back to review the fifth-hole incident.

R&A executive director of governance Grant Moir explained the ruling afterward, saying DeChambeau had been penalized for "inadvertently improving the area of his intended swing."

Moir emphasized that intent was irrelevant under Rule 8.1. "An improvement means to alter one or more of the conditions affecting the stroke so that the player gains a potential advantage for the stroke," Moir said. "I'll stress that this applies even when the action is accidental, as it was in Bryson's case."

The penalty turned DeChambeau's bogey on the fifth hole into a triple bogey, changing his round from a 66 to a 68 and dropping him from solo second to a tie for fifth at 5 under, three shots behind Herbert heading into the weekend.

DeChambeau was driven back to the fifth hole -Credit:Richard Heathcote, Getty Images

DeChambeau pleaded his case animatedly with officials at the scene, reportedly arguing the trampled fescue was not directly in his swing path, but the R&A did not budge. He initially declined to address the situation with reporters after signing his scorecard, instead heading straight to the driving range.

"I played great, actually," DeChambeau told a reporter who asked what happened. "Are you guys having a good night? I'm going to hit some golf balls." He remained on the range for roughly 45 minutes afterward.

His agent, Brett Falkoff, told reporters DeChambeau was genuinely weighing whether to withdraw before Saturday's third round, saying, "He's a lot of things. He's not a cheater," while adding that DeChambeau would ultimately decide how he felt closer to tee time.

"He's a big boy. He'll see how he feels. But he certainly feels he was unfairly penalized."

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Source: “AOL Sports”